Process for distilling off the oil from oil-coated fines.



No; 825,909. PATENTED JULY 17, 1906.

B. B. KIRBY.

PROCESS FOR DISTILLING OFF THE OIL PROM OIL COATED PINES.

APPLICATION FILED 111:0. 14, 1903.

Wi'tzz 6Jd J. 111011 no: NORRIS PETERS c0 wnsnmamu, a. :4

UNITED "sures ATENT OFFICE.

EDMUND B. KIRBY, OF ROSSLAND, oANADA. 'F fiocsss' FoR DISTILLING OFF THE on. FROM OlL-COATE D FINES,

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented July 17, 1906.

Application filed December 14,1903. Serial No. 185,031.

Be it known that I, EDMUND B. KIRBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rossland, in the Province of BritishColumbia and Dominion of Canada, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Processes for Distilling Off the Oil from Oil- Coated Fines, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description, reference being sible to remove b of such oil from the concentrates by distillawater, with the result that some of the mintion is one step in an oil process which I have invented.

My invention resides in the method of distilling off the oil in a manner which shall require the least attention on the part of the E operator and which shall include as a characteristic the automatic feeding of the material through the heat zone. The material under treatment is -the"'product of the.so-

called oil-concentrating process, wherein the mineral fines are agitated with oil and eralparticles, usually the metal and metallic minerals, become by reason of adhesive pref erence coated with the oil, while the other 7 particles are notso coated, but remain sus- 4s l sents a retort-furnace of any sultable form pended in the water. ticles float to the surface of the water, formiing a thick layerofoil and oil-coated mineral particles. The other mineral particles tend to settle out of the Water to the bottom of the tank in which this mixture is contained.

The oil-coated par- The particles selected out by the oil are skimmed off and as much as possible of the oil associated therewith is separated by mechanical means. To separate the oil not conveniently removed by mechanical means is the object of my process.

Referring to the parts by letters, A repreadapted to supply thenecessary heat to the retort. B represents an inclined retort which is suitably set in said furnace. This retort has at its upper end a substantially vertical char ing-neCk C and at itslower end a substantial y vertical discharging-spout D. The retort. B is set at approximately the angle of repose of the oil-wet concentrates which are to be charged into the same, wherefore as the oil is vaporized said concentrates will slideiby gravity downward. They will not, however, entirely fill the retort, wherefore the upper part thereof will remain sufficiently open for the upward passage of the vapors. j I

The retort is maintained at the distillation temperature of the oil used, which in the case of kerosene is about 338 Fahrenheit. In order to assist in carrying 011 theoil-vapor, a current of superheated steam is introduced into the retort through a pipe b, and said steam and oil vapors pass off through pipe F to the condensing apparatus. centrateson losing their oil and moisture slide down toward the lower end of the retort into the discharge-neck, from which they are withdrawn throu h the double gates E in said spout, whic gates are to be opened alternately, so as to prevent the escape of vapors. Thespout above one gate or the other will always be full of the dry concentrate, which itself acts as a seal. The upper end of the neck C is made hoppershaped, and the fresh charge of the wet concentrate is admitted from the charging-neck and ho per past the double sliding gates G G, whic are opened alternately. The mass of the concentrates in the hop er and in the spout above one or both of sai gates acts as an efficient seal. It is notnecessary that the gates E E or G G shall be tightly fitting, since The dry conit is not intended that they shall seal the retort, this being done by the concentrates been designed for use and have been used with material which cannot act as a seal when supported upon loose-fitting gates.

The vapors which pass off through pipe F are led throu h a settling ohamber K, which catches any (Iust of the concentrates which may pass off with the vapors, and .thenthe vapors pass to a condenser M of any ap-.

proved construction.

Having described my invention, I claim-- The process ottreating oil-concentrated mineral fines which consists in feeding the same into a retort maintained at the temperature necessary for distillation of the oil gresent, and automatically regulating the Y concentrates and leading away the diseed of the concentrates through the heat 3 tiifed vapor. 1. zone by so disposing the charge, that said In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my concentrates will when wet remain Withinthe signature in the of two Witnesses. 5 heat zone by their adherence to the support- EDMUND B. KIRBY.

ing medium; but that when the d-ecneased Witnesses:

frictional resistance will not e sufficient to 'T. L. SAVAGE,

retain them Within said zone, collecting the E. G. EASTMAN. 

